Northampton requests exceed budget by $3M

Feb. 27, 2014

Written by

Staff Writer

EASTVILLE — Northampton County budget requests total $59 million — $3 million more than the approved 2014 budget — and Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry LeMond wants to hear justifications from department managers.

“They should appear and make their requests,” said LeMond.

He said it’s hard to distinguish exactly where some of the cost increases originate, and the best information will come directly from the department heads.

“It’s not fair for (Finance Director Leslie Lewis) to make their case,” he said.

Of the $59 million requested, $15 million will go right back out the door in transfers out to the school division ($9 million), debt service ($2.5 million), Eastern Shore Regional Jail ($1.6 million), capital reserve ($.9 million), public utilities and wastewater ($.6 million), and social services ($.5 million).

It was the board’s first look at the 2015 budget request, which is a compilation of submissions from county departments managers, constitutional officers and outside agencies.

“We do not have the revenue to fund all of the expenditures, and there will have to be some major cuts,” Lewis told the board during the budget presentation. “Our point tonight is to show you every request.”

LeMond was especially concerned about the current and long-term costs of adding full-time employees.

Personnel costs as submitted for budget consideration were about $1 million more than the approved 2014 budget.

Five new full-time positions were requested at a cost of about $500,000. Four of those positions were in EMS to begin ramping up services before the hospital relocates to Onley in 2015. The other is for animal control.

The Electoral Board, facilities management and parks and recreation departments each requested promoting one part-time position to full-time, and the assessment department and treasurer’s office each asked for temporary part-time workers for the reassessment and for implementing the first year of twice-annual billing.

“This board is going to look at the part-time versus the full-time. When the full-time goes to the (health) insurance, that’s a huge cost,” said LeMond.

Two administrative assistant positions in the county administrator’s office and the office of planning and zoning are proposed to be eliminated.

Both are currently vacant, and cutting them will save the county around $92,000.

Submitted capital items totaled $325,108, and included four new vehicles for the Sheriff’s department at a cost of $158,000, a new phone system at $58,400, replacement of two copiers in administration at $25,000, and replacement of six greenboxes at a total cost of $24,000.

“We’re going to have a tight budget. Revenue is not growing and we have a lot of requests,” said LeMond.

“Not all the requests will be approved. We’re going to have to pick and choose.”